It feels like it’s been forever since we heard “My My My!” the triumphant first single from Troye Sivan’s new record, Bloom. Since the single’s release in January, the anticipation has built and expectations reached sky high. Some might buckle under the pressure, but 23-year-old Sivan did not disappoint.
Although this year’s class of album releases didn’t hold a candle to last year’s (there was no Damn by Kendrick Lamar or Melodrama by Lorde), it is still important to note that Sivan has produced one of the best full-lengths of the year.
These days, it’s rare to find a record that doesn’t require a second listen, but Sivan’s work impressed listeners the first time around.
Sivan opens Bloom with a beautiful ballad that chronicles the loss of his innocence, “Seventeen.” The track features trippy, indie production that serves as soft background music throughout the entirety of the song, only picking up during the chorus. That is what makes the song among the best on the record; the toned-down moments allow for the vulnerable, relatable lyrics about growing up too fast to shine through.
Sivan is perfectly capable of writing good dance music, but he is at his best when he strips the production down and pours his heart out.
“The Good Side” is another masterpiece. The electronic keyboard-based intro and outro are entirely unfitting in a good way; the song is slow, acoustic and tragic. Well-placed unexpected moments throughout the album, like this, help to make it unique in the sea of predictability that mainstream music has become.
The track is another display of Sivan’s writing talent. The story of a breakup is told from the uncommon perspective: the one who did the hurting. Sivan admits with grace and regret that he was the one who lucked out in the end. It’s refreshingly honest and self-aware.
Fresh off her best record yet, Sweetener, Ariana Grande joins Sivan for a victory lap on Bloom’s most fun track, “Dance to This.” The powerhouse singer complements Sivan’s soft vocals perfectly.
“Postcard (feat. Gordi)" is a song of yearning from a distance. Everyone has missed somebody before, so it would have been easy to simplify this song in the studio, but Sivan did the opposite; he dug deep.
The song paints a picture of the pivotal moment in every post-breakup depression, the moment when you realize that you are the only one who still cares.
“What A Heavenly Way To Die” feels like it could be on Harry Styles’ solo album. It’s indie perfection. It's dark and cryptic but somehow still hopeful and at peace with itself. The track’s melancholy theme shows Sivan’s high emotional IQ.
The entire record is centered around a self-awareness and backed by an ability to be OK with the moment that most of us will never achieve. Sivan capitalizes on his knack for viewing things through a more sensitive lens than the average person in Bloom. Great artists use their ability to feel things deeply in their creations, and Sivan has mastered the art.
